christine & frank: married in middleburg

it was a balmy 90 degrees on may 1 when christine and frank married at st. leo's catholic church in fairfax.  festivities followed at the briar patch inn in middleburg, a gorgeous venue on sprawling acres of lush green lawns and rolling hills.

this diy mother of the bride wowed guests with moss letters, homemade cookie and candy displays, and hanging lanterns.  both the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom brought their wedding gowns out of storage and displayed them at the entrance to the inn.

after dinner guests dined on yummy cheesecake...

before being treated to an after-dinner dance by the bride's family, who was so "thrilled" to have the groom in the family, they performed thriller!

christine and frank looked so beautiful, and everyone really enjoyed the middleburg surroundings!

venue: briar patch inn, middleburg

catering: r&r catering

flowers: total wedding kama

photography: katherine klegin

calling all men: how to tie a bow tie

gala season kicked off a few weeks ago, and wedding season wasn't far behind.  so men, impress your ladies by foregoing the clip-on version in favor of a more james bond-esque look, and tie your own bow tie.  there are a ton of really bad youtube instructional videos out there, but follow these directions from tie-a-tie, and you'll look like a grown up in no time:

The proper size should never be broader than the widest part of your neck and should never extend past the tips of the shirt collar.

To tie the Bow Tie Knot, select a bow tie of your choice and stand in front of a mirror. Then simply follow the steps below:

1) Place the bow tie around your neck, situating it so that end "A" is about two inches longer than end "B".

2) Cross end "A" over end "B".

3) Bring end "A" up and under the loop.

4) Now double end "B" over itself to form the front base loop of the bow tie.

5) Loop end "A" over the center of the loop you just formed.

6) Holding everything in place, double end "A" back on itself and poke it through the loop behind the bow tie.

7) Adjust the bow tie by tugging at the ends of it and straightening the center knot.

welcome to the strohm home: the guest list

you heard it here first!  he proposed; i said yes!  and although it's been about six weeks and we haven't planned a thing, we did get around to making a guest list.  you probably know by now that putting together this list is no small feat!  i think we may have lucked out though and had an easier time than most!

we have a great list of 154 friends and family!  we're paying, but we did ask our families for their invite list, and they took it easy on us!  yay! everyone gets to bring a date.  personally i'm against inviting your friends and expecting them to arrive solo.  sure, it might be a little wierd if someone brings a very random date, but giving everyone a +1 ensures they'll have a good time, especially if they don't know many other guests.  where did we draw the line?  kids!  love them, but many of our friends already have one or two (or three), and when we added them all up there were 40 little ones!  so other than his niece and nephews, no kids, cute as they are.

in the end, this potentially difficult task wasn't too bad.  now if we could only find a venue!

brian and chi

october 2009 was much rainier than usual in these parts.  october 8, however, was stunningly beautiful, just in time for brian and chi's wedding and brookside gardens in wheaton, maryland. 

brian and chi met while brian was teaching english in japan, so naturally it made sense that they incorporated some japanese culture into their ceremony - she wore a beautiful, traditional kimono (that took 2 hours to get into!), and they performed a sake blessing with their families.  instead of traditional vows, brian and chi recited the lyrics from one of their favorite songs, which they shared with their friends and family in a simple, yet very personal, ceremony inside a japanese tea house.

following the ceremony, guests were treated to delicious hors d'oeuvres on the luscious lawn outside brookside's visitor center.  canapes catering hit a high note with everyone yet again - they never fail to impress!  guests then gathered for dinner and dancing inside the visitor center, which was adorned with white chinese lanterns and chocolate-y linens, highlighted with green and orange accents.

after dancing the night away, guests were treated to chocolate covered almonds and espresso beans that matched the couple's theme.

venue: brookside gardens

catering: canapes catering

dj: bruce pike, dynomite dj's

photography: susan centineo, studio c photography

flowers: da vinci's florist

cake: cinful cuisine

vintage chic with a modern twist...

a vintage-themed wedding turns modern with the addition of some hot pink lighting, strategically placed of course...

rsvp gets kudos!

Washington, dc – january 24, 2010 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced that rsvp event planning and management has been selected to receive the WeddingWire 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for wedding planning!
The annual Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

rsvp event planning and management is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that rsvp event planning and management is among the very best wedding planners within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/rsvp-event-planning-and-management-washington/e7642da09c6a3096.html.
About WeddingWire, Inc.

WeddingWire is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding vendors. WeddingWire enables engaged couples to search, compare and book over 100,000 reviewed wedding vendors nationwide, from wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding vendors, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. In addition, WeddingWire has partnered with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) to provide its network of local vendors and online wedding-planning tools in the Weddings section of www.MarthaStewartWeddings.com. For additional information, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

novi nuptials

october 10, 2009 was a cold, rainy day, but the weather perked up just in time for a beautiful october 11 wedding, full of rich, fall colors and a delighted wedding couple.

we added a lot of personal touches to mindy and shawn's wedding.  since the couple is really into the outdoors, we used a lot of earthy elements, from a moss and river rock escort card table, to wooden bowls that held wispy willow branches and decadent assortments of fall flowers.  mindy's veil incorporated pieces of her mother's veil, the chuppah was hand-made by the bride's godmother, and the groom's father became ordained and performed the ceremony. 

mindy and shawn even had mini bride and groom cake toppers made to match their outfits, including shawn's green tie.

before the ceremony, the couple braved the cold outdoors for some fabulous photos reflecting the beautful michigan foliage, and even posed for a few art deco shots in the restaurant's wine room!

the two danced the night away with family and friends, and guests got to take home souvenir photo-booth photos!

venue: crowne plaza novi, michigan

catering: matt prentice

photography: kate elliott photography